18 Oct Totem Cave: New Year’s Eve, 1999

Mexico, 1999

Ethan tells the story:

We were celebrating New Year’s when the call came in. We were told to get ready to fly right away.

I relayed the message to the crew, “A mining company drilled into a large flooded cavern. They’ve been draining it for 3 days now, there’s something inside.”

This area has had discoveries before, namely’ The Cave of Swords’ in 1910, an impressive crystal cave, but this was different, more interesting they said.

We flew out to the site immediately. By the time we got there, the miners were pulling their equipment out. Everything was disorganized. I was concerned about the stability of the cavern itself since this situation is still new, but the geologist on-site said not to worry.

We went in. It was hot. We were tired. The dampness created a thick fog everywhere. The cave smelled earthy; it was pungent.

Thankfully, the mining company had already provided power to the site and hung lights from the ceiling.

What we saw next had us speechless; it was surreal. Totem-like structures, scattered everywhere. Much like our own, but larger and more rectangular. Dozens of them embedded in the rock floor throughout the entire cavern. They seemed ancient, deeply scarred with cracks.

Tom and I suited up and headed in. We found a Totem lying on its side. We walked along its torso, towards its cleft (slot). There was a thick, oily buildup leaking from it. No other spot in the cave had this. We scooped a sample and continued to look around.

Trish was there too. Her team was setting up the equipment, getting a makeshift lab built in the tunnel nearby. She was eager to get started. She collected the sample from us, labelled it, and went back to work.

Hours passed as Tom and I mapped the cavern. Then Trish rushed over, “It’s mushroom spores!” she said. “The oily stuff is psilocybin—magic mushrooms. Make sure you decontaminate carefully.”

“Mushroom spores?!” Tom and I said simultaneously.

~CJ~